Ohio Northern earn USILA Academic Team Award; Senior Joe O'Connell named USILA Scholar All-American

By Tim Glon

| 2021 USILA Academic Team Award (.pdf) | 2021 USILA Scholar All-America Team (.pdf) |

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's lacrosse team earned the Academic Team Award from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association for 2021.

Individually, senior Joe O'Connell (Fishers, Ind.) was named a USILA Scholar All-American.

O'Connell becomes the third Polar Bear to earn the award, following Cameron Marous (Brecksville/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) in 2020 and Jackson Pfister in 2019.

It is the first time that ONU has received the team award.

O'Connell has played in 49 games, starting 30, as an attacker and is a three-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree.

He ranks fourth in ONU history with 64 goals, is sixth with 26 assists and is fifth with 90 points. He also has 39 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers in his career.

The Polar Bears posted their sixth consecutive winning season in the six-year history of the program in 2021 with an 8-6 overall mark. ONU was fourth in the OAC with a 6-3 record under sixth-year head coach Nat St. Laurent.